Bicycle rack components

ABSTRACT

A bicycle rack for mounting bicycles on a vehicle has one or more bicycle attachment assemblies installed on the support members for the bicycles. Some or all of the components of the bicycle attachment assemblies may be disposed substantially within the support member. The bicycle attachment assemblies secure the frame of the bicycle on the support member by attachment of a releasable retention strap. An end of the retention strap may be inserted in an aperture in the assembly to hold the bicycle in place. A retention device, such as a pawl, may be provided in the aperture to engage the retention strap and hold it in place until a user releases the strap.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/135,174 filed Sep. 19, 2018, whichclaimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/560,521 filed Sep. 19, 2017, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for securing a bicycle on abicycle rack. The means for securing the bicycles to the rack are ofparamount importance. The device described in embodiments hereinprovides a secure and easy-to-use mechanism for engaging and releasingstraps for securing a bicycle frame to the bicycle rack.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive bicycle attachment mechanism releasably secures a bicycleto a support member of a bicycle rack. In varying embodiments, thebicycle attachment mechanism comprises a pawl pivotally mounted withinan aperture in the support member, and a strap having teeth on one side.The second end of the strap may be attached to the support member andthe first end of the strap is inserted into the aperture, where the pawlis configured to engage the teeth on the strap to retain the strap inthe aperture. In some embodiments, the pawl further comprises an angledtooth configured to engage the teeth on the strap. In some of theseembodiments the pawl secures the strap between the angled tooth of thepawl and a surface of the aperture. In some embodiments the pawl furthercomprises a pawl release lever configured to disengage the angled toothof the pawl from the teeth of the strap to release the strap from theaperture.

In preferred embodiments of the bicycle attachment mechanism, the framemember of the bicycle is captured between the strap and the cradle whenthe second end of the strap is inserted into the aperture. In someembodiments of the mechanism, a bicycle cradle is disposed between thesecond end of the strap and the aperture for the strap.

Other embodiments of the inventive device include a bicycle attachmentassembly for a bicycle rack with a support member. In these embodimentsthe bicycle attachment assembly comprises a component installed into anaperture extending through the support member, the component having anupper surface for receiving a frame of a bicycle, an aperture throughthe component having a latch mechanism configured to receive and retaina strap to hold the frame of the bicycle on the upper surface of thecomponent. In some of these embodiments the component is disposedsubstantially inside the support member. The latch mechanism maycomprise a pawl disposed at least partially within the aperture, and arack of teeth on the strap for engaging the pawl. The pawl may have arelease lever for disengaging the pawl from the rack of teeth. The strapmay be attached to the component at a strap attachment point disposedapart from the aperture. In some embodiments an anti-sway device isdisposed below the support member and is attached to the componentthrough the support member.

Further embodiments include a bicycle attachment assembly for a bicyclerack with a support member for holding a bicycle, where the bicycleattachment assembly has a strap having a rack of teeth disposed on oneside, and a ratchet pawl in an aperture extending though the supportmember. The ratchet pawl may be configured to engage the rack of teethon the strap when an end of the strap is inserted into the aperture. Insome of these embodiments the aperture extends from an upper surface ofthe support member to a lower surface of the support member, and thestrap extends through the aperture and below the support member tosecure a bicycle frame member on the upper surface of the supportmember. A second end of the strap may be attached to the support memberat an attachment point on the upper surface thereof, and a bicyclecradle may be disposed on the upper surface of the support memberbetween the attachment point and the aperture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive bicyclerack in a folded configuration.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive bicyclerack in a folded configuration.

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive bicyclerack in an open configuration.

FIG. 1D is a side view of an embodiment of the inventive bicycle rack inan open configuration.

FIG. 1E is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive bicyclerack in an open configuration.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a portion of an embodiment of theinventive bicycle rack.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an embodiment of theinventive bicycle rack.

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an embodiment of theinventive bicycle rack.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the inventivebicycle rack in an open configuration.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of an embodiment of theinventive bicycle rack.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a portion of an embodiment of theinventive bicycle rack.

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an embodiment of theinventive bicycle rack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Bicycle racks are often provided for removable mounting onto the truck,rear hatch, or rear end of a vehicle. The racks often have an uppersupport structure or frame, and a lower support structure or frame, thatrest on an upper and lower surface of a vehicle, respectively. In someuses of such racks, these surfaces may include a bumper as the lowersurface, and the top of the trunk as the upper surface. In otherembodiments, they upper and lower surfaces may comprise the upper andlower portions of a rear hatch, respectively. Other options forinstallation may also be used with various embodiments of these racks.The upper and lower support structures of such racks often need to beadjusted with respect to each other and to elements of the rack providedfor the support of one or more bicycles. The inventive rack 100described below is provided with improved devices for adjusting thevarious members of the rack with respect to one another to fit the rackto a variety of vehicles in a quick and secure manner.

Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the inventive bicycle rack100 for mounting on a vehicle trunk are depicted. In the variousdepicted embodiments, the rack 100 includes a lower portion 102, anupper portion 104, one or more bicycle support members 106, and one ormore hinge assemblies 108. In the depicted embodiments, the rack 100 isprovided with two hinge assemblies 108 disposed at either end of acentral pivot member 110, however in other embodiments the rack 100 mayhave only one or more than two hinge assemblies 108.

In the depicted embodiments, the upper portion 104 comprises a U-shapedassembly with a first and second upper support member 112, and an upperbase member 114. In the depicted embodiments, a first end 120 of eachupper support member 112 is attached to a hinge assembly 108. Theopposed second end 122 of the upper support member 112 is attached toupper base member 114. The upper base member 114 contacts the vehicle towhich the rack 100 is attached to provide support to the rack 100. Inother embodiments of the bicycle rack 100, only one or more than twosupport members 112 may be provided, and the upper base member 114 maycomprise a shortened member or cap for each upper support member 112, ormay be attached to the second end of the upper support member 112 at amidpoint of the upper base member 114. The scope of the presentinvention is not limited by the particular arrangement of supportmembers shown in the depicted embodiments.

Similarly, in the depicted embodiments, the lower portion 102 comprisesa U-shaped assembly with a first and second lower support member 116,and a lower base member 118. In the depicted embodiments, a first end120 of each upper support member 116 is attached to a hinge assembly108. The opposed second end 122 of the lower support member 116 isattached to lower base member 118. The lower base member 118 contactsthe vehicle to which the rack 100 is attached to provide support to therack 100. In other embodiments of the bicycle rack 100, only one or morethan two support members 116 may be provided, and the lower base member118 may comprise a shortened member or cap for each lower support member116, or may be attached to the second end of the lower support member116 at a midpoint of the lower base member 118. The scope of the presentinvention is not limited by the particular arrangement of supportmembers shown in the depicted embodiments.

Each support member 112 or 116 is a structural member formed from metal,composite, plastic, other similar materials, or a combination of thosematerials, and may be hollow, solid, or channeled as required by thematerial and application. In preferred embodiments, the support members112 and 116 are formed from hollow metal members having a circular,oval, polygonal, rectangular, or similar cross-section. Similarly, thebase members 114 and 118 may be formed from a variety of materials withsuitable properties to provide support as required by the specificdesign of an embodiment of the rack 100, and may be metal, composite,plastic, rubber, similar materials, or a combination of those materials,formed with a variety of cross-sections, and may be hollow, solid, orchanneled as required by the material and application. In someembodiments, the support members 112 and 116 may be formed unitarily asa single piece with the base members 114 and 118, respectively.

At least one of the lower portion 102 and upper portion 104 is attachedto the pivot member 110 by hinge assemblies so that the orientation ofthat portion, with respect to the pivot member 110, may be adjusted withrespect to the other portion.

In the depicted embodiment, each hinge assembly 108 is provided withfirst leaf 126 and a second leaf 124. The first end 120 of each supportarm 112 is attached to a first leaf 126 of a hinge assembly 108. Thefirst end 120 of each support arm 116 is attached to a second leaf 124of a hinge assembly 108. The first leaf 126 and second leaf 124 pivotwith respect to each other around the axis of the pivot member 110 toallow the angle between the lower portion 102 and upper portion 104 tobe adjusted to fit a particular vehicle. In the depicted embodiments,the first and second leaf comprise sockets for receiving an end of asupport member, but in other embodiments they may comprise inserts thatfit into a hollow support member or channels therein, or comprise amounting plate to which the support member is fastened. In the depictedembodiments, the second leaf 124 may be fixedly attached to the pivotmember 110.

In some embodiments, the hinge assembly 108 may only have one hinge leaffor attachment to the portion (upper or lower) that pivots around thepivot member 110. The other portion may be attached to pivot member 110by a part of the hinge assembly 108 or by another connection or mountingfixture.

Each bicycle support member 106 is provided with one or more bicycleattachment assemblies 128. The bicycle attachment assemblies 128 areprovided with a means of attaching a bicycle to the bicycle supportmember 106 to hold the bicycle in place during use of the rack 100. Invarious embodiments of the rack 100, the bicycle attachment assembly 128may comprise one or more types of attachments suitable for this purpose.In some embodiments, the assembly 128 may comprise a strap releaseablyattached to the member 106 to hold the frame or another part of thebicycle against the member 106. In other embodiments, the assembly 128may comprise hooks, clamps, or other types of releasable anchors.Specific embodiments of the bicycle attachment assembly 126 aredescribed in relation to later figures.

Each bicycle support member is pivotally attached to the rack 100 by abicycle support hinge assembly 130. The hinge assembly 130 allows thebicycle support member 106 to be rotated around the pivot member 110 sothat the rack 100 may be adjusted for a variety of different vehicles orfolded into a storage configuration where the members 106 pivoted aroundpivot member 110 until they are aligned with and substantially betweenthe support members 112 and 116.

The adjustability of the various members allow the rack 100 to be“folded” into a compact “closed” configuration, such as shown in FIG.1B, when not in use. The rack 100 may then be “unfolded” by adjustingthe upper and lower portion members as needed to fit onto a specificvehicle, such as the “open” configuration shown in FIG. 1C. In someembodiments of the rack 100, once the upper and lower support frames areadjusted to securely fit onto the vehicle, it may be desired to adjustthe bicycle support members to be substantially horizontal as shown inFIGS. 1C and 1D, or in some other preferred orientation based on thespecific design of the bicycle support members.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a detailed perspective view and across-sectional view along axis A-A of an embodiment of the hingeassembly 108 are depicted, respectively. The pivot member 110 depictedin the figures is a hollow member that is substantially circular incross-section. In other embodiments, the pivot member 100 may bepartially or completely solid. The pivot member 110 is provided with aplurality of channels or recesses 200. In the depicted embodiment, thesechannels 200 are provided by a toothed ring 202 that is fixedly attachedto pivot member 100 by appendages 204 that are inserted into channels206 or by screws 208 in some embodiments. In other embodiments, channels200 may be provided directly in the pivot member 100 itself such aschannels 210 and 212. In the depicted embodiment, the channels 200 areprovided around the entire circumference of pivot member 110, however insome embodiments the channels 200 may only be provided on certainportions of the circumference of pivot member 110.

In the depicted embodiment, the hinge leaf 126 is attached to or formedunitarily with hinge barrel 214. In various embodiments, hinge barrel214 may completely or partially surround pivot member 110. Hinge barrel214 is disposed around pivot member 110 and capable of revolving aroundpivot member 110. The hinge barrel 214 may be provided with an optionalflange 216 extending around or over the channels 200. A latch pin 218 ismoveably attached to hinge leaf 126 or hinge barrel 214 for selectivelyengaging the channels 200 to hold the hinge assembly 108 in a fixedposition with respect to pivot member 110. An actuator 220 is providedfor selectively engaging or disengaging the latch pin 218 from one ofthe channels 200. When the latch pin 218 is in a disengaged position,hinge leaf 126 and hinge barrel 214 may be rotated around the pivotmember 110. When the latch pin 218 is engaged in a channel 200, the pin218 prevents rotation of the hinge leaf 126 with respect to pivot member110 and holds the hinge assembly 108 in a fixed position.

In a preferred embodiment, hinge leaf 124 may be fixedly attached topivot member 110 to prevent its rotation with relation to the pivotmember 110. In other embodiments, hinge leaf 124 may be pivotallyattached to pivot member 110 with some method of fixing it in desiredorientation with respect to the pivot member 110. In other embodimentsof the rack 100, hinge leaf 124 may be formed as part of pivot member110. In other embodiments, the hinge leaf 124 and the pivot member 100may be formed from a single component. In other embodiments, pivotmember 110 and lower support member 112 may be formed from a singlecomponent or attached together without a hinge leaf 124.

Since in some embodiments the hinge assembly 108 described herein may beattached to the lower portion 102 of the rack, and in other embodimentsto the upper portion 104 of the rack, it is necessary to be able torefer to whichever portion and subcomponents thereof are attached to thehinge assembly without reference as to whether it is the upper or thelower portion. Thus, when referring to the upper and lower portions, theupper and lower base members, and the upper and lower support members, areference to the first portion, the second portion, the first basemembers, the second base members, the first support members, and thesecond support members shall refer respectively to either upper or lowerportions or components. In this manner, references to the components inthe claims may be described in relation to which components attach tothe hinge assembly, and not which components are on the upper or lowerportion of the rack.

Referring now to FIG. 2C, a cross-sectional view along axis B-B of thehinge assembly 108 is depicted. In various embodiments of the rack 100,various methods of actuating the latch pin 218 to selectively move itfrom an engaged to a disengaged position may be utilized withoutdeparting from the scope of the inventive device. In the depictedembodiment of the rack 100, the actuator 220 is attached to, or formedas part of, a first end of latch lever 226, and latch pin 218 isattached to a second end of latch lever 226, or is formed as part oflatch lever 226. The latch lever 226 is pivotally attached to latchmount 222 by latch pivot pin 224. Spring 228 is mounted between hingeleaf 126 and the portion of the lever arm 226 between the latch pivotpin 224 and the first end of the latch lever 226.

When a user depresses actuator 220 in the direction of upper supportmember 112, the lever 226 pivots around latch pivot pin 224. The pivotalmovement of lever 226 causes the latch pin 218 to move away from hingeleaf 126 and out of channel 200. Once pin 218 is out of channel 200, thehinge leaf 126 may be rotated around pivot member 110 to adjust theorientation of the support lower portion 102 and the upper portion 104to each other. Once the hinge leaf 126 and upper support member 112 isin a desired orientation with respect to pivot member 110, the user mayrelease actuator 220. The pivotal movement of the actuator 220 towardupper support member 116 also compresses spring 228. When the userreleases actuator 220, spring 228 pushes the first end 226 away fromupper support member 116, causing the lever 226 to rotate in theopposite direction and causing latch pin 218 to be reinserted into oneof the channels 200.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of oneof the bicycle support members 106 is depicted. The cross-sectional viewextending along the length of bicycle support member 106 depicts anembodiment of a bicycle attachment assembly 128. The bicycle supportmember 106 is pivotally attached to the rack 100 at a first end 300 ofthe member 106. The attachment assembly 128 is disposed at a point alongthe length of the support member 106 for receiving and holding abicycle, typically by supporting and engaging a portion of the frame ofthe bicycle. The portion of the frame of the bicycle may comprise a tubeformed from metal, composite, or other types of materials used to createthe frame of the bicycle. The depicted embodiment of the attachmentassembly 128 is provided with a rest 302 for receiving and holding theframe of the bicycle, and a flexible strap 304 for wrapping around theframe of the bicycle and releaseably holding the frame of the bicycle onthe rest 302. In the depicted embodiment, the strap 304 is attached tosupport member 106 at a first end 306 of the strap 304. This embodimentof the strap 304 is provided with teeth 308 on one side of the strap 304that are angled toward the first end 306 of strap 304.

A slot or aperture 310 having side surfaces is provided in supportmember 106, and a pawl 312 is pivotally mounted in slot 310. A secondend 314 of strap 304 is inserted into slot 310 around the bicycle frameto hold it on the rest 302. The pawl tooth 316 on pawl 312 is disposedat an angle pointing into the slot 310, and engages angled teeth 308 onstrap 304 to prevent the strap 304 from being withdrawn from slot 310,thus holding the bicycle frame against rest 302. The angle of the teeth308 allows the pawl tooth 316 to slide over the teeth 308 while thestrap 304 is being inserted into the slot 310, but to catch on the teeth308 when a force attempts to pull strap 304 out of the slot 310. Bypulling the strap 304 through the slot 310 until the strap 304 securelyholds the bicycle frame against rest 302, a bicycle may be held on therack 100.

When a user desires to withdraw the strap 304 from the slot 310 toremove the bicycle from the rack 100, the pawl lever 318 is depressed tocause pawl 312 to pivot and to pull pawl tooth 316 away from contactwith strap 304, thus disengaging the pawl tooth 312 from the teeth 308on strap 304.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an embodiment of the hinge assembly 130 isdepicted. The depicted embodiment of the hinge assembly 130 comprises apivot mount for pivotally holding the bicycle support member 106 on thepivot member 110. In this embodiment, the pivot mount 400 is a full orpartial cylinder that is slidably disposed around pivot member 110. Thedepicted embodiment of mount 400 has socket 402 extending outwardly fromthe pivot mount 400. The socket 402 receives the first end 300 ofsupport member 106. In other embodiments, the pivot mount 400 andbicycle support member may be formed as a single piece, without a socket402. In other embodiments, the socket 402 may be an insert component forinserting into a hollow end of bicycle support member 106. In yet otherembodiments, the socket 402 may be replaced with one or more plates orbrackets that are attached to the pivot mount 400 and bicycle supportmember 106.

In the embodiment of the rack 100 shown in FIG. 4, a toothed ring 404 isfixedly attached to, or formed as part of, pivot member 110. A latchassembly 406 is provided on pivot mount 400 or as part of bicyclesupport member 106. In the depicted embodiment, the latch assembly 406is substantially the same in design and operation as the latch describedwith reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C. A user may disengage the latchassembly 406 as previously described, rotate the bicycle support member106 to a desired position, and engage the latch assembly 406 to securethe member 106 in the desired position.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a perspective and a cross-sectionalview of an alternative embodiment of the bicycle support member 106 isdepicted. In this embodiment, the pivot mount 400 and socket 402 arerotateably disposed on pivot member 110. Pivot member 110 is providedwith one or more channels 508 along at least a portion of the length ofthe pivot member 110 where the bicycle support member 106 is disposed.In this embodiment, a latch actuator 500 is provided on socket 402 thatslides toward and away from the pivot member 110 in a slot 503 providedin socket 402. The latch actuator 500 is attached to a carrier 504 thatextends inwardly from the latch actuator 500, through a slot or hole inthe pivot mount 402 into a cavity provided therein. A spring 506 isdisposed in the cavity such that it pushes on carrier 504 to pushactuator 500 toward the pivot member 110 unless a user exerts a force onlatch actuator 500 to push it away from the pivot member 110 compressingspring 506 against a stop 512 provided in the cavity. A latch pin 502 isattached to carrier 504 and extends toward the pivot member 110. In someembodiments the socket 402 and the parts of this latch embodiment may beincorporated into the support member 106.

In a latched configuration, a first end 510 of latch pin 502 extendsthrough an aperture in the pivot mount 400 and into one of the channels508 in pivot member 110. The extension of the pin into the channel 508prevents the rotation of pivot mount 400 and bicycle support member 106with respect to pivot member 110.

A user may disengage the latch by applying a force to actuator 500 toslide it away from the pivot member 110. The movement of the latchactuator 500 causes carrier 504 to also move away from pivot member 110thereby retracting latch pin 502 from the channel 508. While latch pin502 is retracted, the bicycle support member 106 and pivot mount 400 maybe rotated around the pivot member 110 to a desired position, at whichtime the user may release actuator 500 and the spring 506 forces carrier504 towards the pivot member, and latch pin 502 into a channel 508.

The various members of the bicycle rack 100 may be manufactured fromcomposite materials, aluminum or other metals, plastic, graphite, carbonfiber, laminates, or other materials with sufficient strength withoutdeparting from the scope of this patent.

To secure the rack to the trunk of a vehicle, multiple strap assemblies132 are provided. It in the depicted embodiments, the straps 132 connectat or near the ends of pivot member 110. The number of straps may varyin embodiments of the rack, but in a preferred embodiment of the rack100 two straps are provided to secure the rack to the vehicle. In someembodiments, three straps are provided at each end of the pivot member100 to allow the rack to attach to the front, rear and sides of thevehicle trunk, hatch or bumper for greater stability at the rack tovehicle interface during use. This arrangement eliminates forward,rearward or side to side movement of the rack that is common with trunkmounted racks.

When the rack 100 is not in use on a vehicle, the lower portion 102, theupper portion 104, and the bicycle support members 106 may all berotated into a folded or closed configuration having all of the membersas close together as allowed by the design of the rack 100, to providefor reduced space requirements for storage. When the rack 100 is in use,the lower portion 102, the upper portion 104, and the bicycle supportmembers 106 are all rotated around pivot member 110 to orient them asnecessary to securely fit the rack 100 onto a specific vehicle forcarrying a bicycle.

Comprise, include, and/or plural forms of each are open ended andinclude the listed parts and can include additional parts that are notlisted. And/or is open ended and includes one or more of the listedparts and combinations of the listed parts.

Changes may be made in the above methods, devices and structures withoutdeparting from the scope hereof. Many different arrangements of thevarious components depicted, as well as components not shown, arepossible without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described withthe intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternativeembodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do notdepart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative meansof implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Notall steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in thespecific order described.

1. A bicycle attachment mechanism for a bicycle rack having a supportmember for holding a bicycle, the bicycle attachment mechanismcomprising: a pawl pivotally mounted within an aperture in the supportmember, and a strap having teeth on a side thereof, and a first end anda second end; wherein the second end of the strap is attached to thesupport member and the first end of the strap is inserted into theaperture; wherein the pawl is configured to engage the teeth on thestrap to retain the strap in the aperture.
 2. The bicycle attachmentmechanism of claim 1 wherein the pawl further comprises an angled toothconfigured to engage the teeth on the strap.
 3. The bicycle attachmentmechanism of claim 2 wherein the pawl secures the strap between theangled tooth of the pawl and a surface of the aperture.
 4. The bicycleattachment mechanism of claim 2 wherein the pawl further comprises apawl release lever configured to disengage the angled tooth of the pawlfrom the teeth of the strap to release the strap from the aperture. 5.The bicycle attachment mechanism of claim 1 further comprising a bicyclecradle disposed between the second end of the strap and the aperture. 6.The bicycle attachment mechanism of claim 5 wherein a frame member ofthe bicycle is captured between the strap and the cradle when the secondend of the strap is inserted into the aperture.
 7. A bicycle attachmentassembly for a bicycle rack having a support member for holding abicycle, the bicycle attachment assembly comprising: a componentinstalled into an aperture extending through the support member; thecomponent having an upper surface for receiving a frame of a bicycle; anaperture through the component having a latch mechanism configured toreceive and retain a strap to hold the frame of the bicycle on the uppersurface of the component.
 8. The bicycle attachment assembly of claim 7wherein the component is disposed substantially inside the supportmember.
 9. The bicycle attachment assembly of claim 7 wherein the latchmechanism comprises a pawl disposed at least partially within theaperture through the component.
 10. The bicycle attachment assembly ofclaim 9 wherein the strap further comprises a rack of teeth for engagingthe pawl.
 11. The bicycle attachment assembly of claim 10 wherein thepawl further comprises a release lever for disengaging the pawl from therack of teeth.
 12. The bicycle attachment assembly of claim 10 whereinthe strap is secured between the pawl and an inside surface of theaperture in the component.
 13. The bicycle attachment assembly of claim8 wherein the strap is attached to the component at a strap attachmentpoint disposed apart from the aperture.
 14. The bicycle attachmentassembly of claim 13 wherein the upper surface for receiving the bicycleframe is between the aperture in the component and the strap attachmentpoint.
 15. The bicycle attachment assembly wherein an anti-sway deviceis disposed below the support member and is attached to the componentthrough the support member.
 16. A bicycle attachment assembly for abicycle rack having a support member for holding a bicycle, the bicycleattachment assembly comprising: a strap having a rack of teeth disposedon a side thereof; a ratchet pawl disposed in an aperture extendingthough the support member, the ratchet pawl configured to engage therack of teeth on the strap when an end of the strap is inserted into theaperture.
 17. The bicycle attachment assembly of claim 16 wherein theaperture extends from an upper surface of the support member to a lowersurface of the support member, and the strap extends through theaperture and below the support member to secure a bicycle frame memberon the upper surface of the support member.
 18. The bicycle attachmentassembly of claim 17 wherein a second end of the strap is attached tothe support member at an attachment point on the upper surface thereof,and a bicycle cradle is disposed on the upper surface of the supportmember between the attachment point and the aperture.
 19. The bicycleattachment assembly of claim 18 wherein the ratchet pawl furthercomprises a release lever to disengage the ratchet pawl from the teethon the strap to release the strap from the aperture.
 20. The bicycleattachment assembly of claim 17 wherein an anti-sway device is attachedto a lower surface of the support member adjacent to the aperture.